Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
In contrast to Tranquility, this is an album I could listen to forever. Top ten for me? Probably not, but not far off.
Okay, let’s run it off. Criteria to include – things I like all but maybe a single song on, things that are fun to listen to (not just good for me), no repeat bands.
In no particular order but using numbers so I don’t have to keep counting what I’ve written down.
- Elbow – (I stumbled right out of the fucking gate. I have no idea which album is my favorite, but one of the them goes here. Seldom Seen Kid. Eh, maybe Cast of Thousands?)
- Jason Isbell – Something More Than Free
- Nirvana – In Utero (another one that might not be true but I’m bad at picking)
- Bad Religion – Stranger Than Fiction
- REM – Automatic for the People (a new entry)
- Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie (I think people argue that this could be a single disc, but I think it’s one of maybe three double albums I can listen to all of)
- Ash – 1977
- Beastie Boys – Ill Communication
- fun. – Some Nights
- My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
- Pain – Midgets With Guns
- Self – Breakfast With Girls?
- Vampire Weekend – Contra, but maybe the newest one.
- Weezer – Pinkerton (this is like favorite Wes Anderson movie, in that it changes all the time)
This whole process is intellectually bankrupt. Damnit. So Whatever isn’t necessarily on the top ten.
Buddy Holly now playing on the café speakers. I take back the Pinkerton pick, but I retain the right to reissue the Pinkerton pick when Pink Triangle comes on.
The point is, Whatever is a great album and learning all the lyrics is both challenging and rewarding. If you can get a good grasp on them, you’ll also have a solid grasp on the drinking culture of British kids aged 16 – 30. Lots of feeling stupid, drinking too much, trying to impress girls and doing it all while wearing a jumper.
It’s also a neat album because it’s got a little history to it. The Arctic Monkeys hadn’t done anything before this except release a bunch of demos to fans at their shows. They got a bunch of views on a YouTube site their fans made and grew in popularity across Northern England, which means they had upwards of 78 fans. That’s supposed to be a joke about how thin the population of Northern England is.
Here we go.
When the album kicks off, it’s like the top of a rollercoaster. The drums just roll over and then the song builds up and then they drop it back and Alex’s vocals come over the top of a pulled back guitar and drums and you just roll along for the rest of the album.
Favourite Worst Nightmare, their second album, is similar in feel. Jump into this moving car and ride along at 95 mph until we get to the end of the road. Then, chances are, you hop right back in a do it all again – speed and volume are wicked addictive. Not the drug speed. It might be addictive. I don’t know.